Collateral Damage
The bright lights of a new settlement appeared like a beacon at the barren center of a large crater. Within stood dozens of prefabricated buildings with corrugated aluminum walls and slanted aluminum roofs. Cheap Fabric awnings covered the front entrances of many of the buildings. Lighted signs with holographic displays seemed to be where most of the latinum had been used in the town's construction. The settlement was a new city that had popped up almost overnight the day the Solanae gateway was discovered near the Jouret system. The system had once been the sight of a federation colony called New Providence. The new settlement sat exactly within the crater of where the colony had been.
Residents and workers of the new settlement scurried about in the night. Many ignored the roads and street signs. The limited vehicle traffic made the roads and street signs almost unnecessary. The settlement had yet to be given a formal name. Some called the town New New Providence out of mockery. Others called the town Carnality, a translation of the name given by its founders, The Ferengi.
The town was intended to be the center for all things pleasure for anyone on leave from working in the Solanae Dyson's Sphere or anyone just passing by. Nearly every building was a casino, brothel, hotel, holosuite, or a mixture of all. At the center lay the power plant for the town with all the biggest centers for vice being built around it, a testament to how important the town's planners felt the centers for entertainment would be to the town's future. Ferengi, Nausicaans, and Orions made up the bulk of the foot traffic but numerous other species from across the quadrant were also present. Most were clientele.
Transporter pads were placed at the four cardinal directions of the city allowing for visitors to beam down to the town or back up to their awaiting ships. A small spaceport was also located south of the town resting outside the crater. Despite the late hour the town was fully alive, at least within the buildings. A building to the east, a block from a transporter pad happened to be the liveliest place in the city. The lights from the Nightclub could be seen from the transporter pad beckoning anyone looking for a quick place to cut loose to enter.
The east pad shimmered with golden light as two Klingons materialized. Their particles reassembled to the exact opposite order that they had been disassembled from their origin. The two Klingons were each armed with bat'leths mounted behind them. Disruptor pistols were holstered at their sides and they were dressed in the armor of the Empire. The two were not visiting the town for pleasure.
The Klingon standing closest to the transporter pad's controls pulled a tricorder from his belt. "Dehar Master, the target hasn't moved from the nightclub," he said. He turned to his partner while placing his tricorder back into his belt. The two Klingons wore the armor of the Empire but they were not wearing house insignias or rank. "Understood Bekk," Dehar Master said. Their names were not to be used for the operation so they addressed each other by rank and title.
A young Ferengi male approached the two from a fold out chair near the transporter pad. He straightened out his coat and smiled. "Welcome travelers! Are you in need of a guide for the night's festivities?" He approached Bekk with a PADD showing his contract and requesting a thumb scan.
"Bekk," Dehar Master said. He raised a hand motioning for the younger Klingon to follow him before walking past Bekk and the young Ferengi.
Bekk clasped the young Ferengi on the shoulder and ushered him over to his fold out chair. "I appreciate your greeting young man, and I appreciate your spirit for life." Bekk looked around- "Unfortunately …" Bekk withdrew his d'k tahg and slipped it into the Ferengi's head just behind his right ear lobe. The Ferengi tensed up and exhaled before he flopped into the hands of his attacker, his body trembling- "you should have minded your own business."
As the convulsions stopped, Bekk placed the young Ferengi in his fold out chair. He leaned the man back and let the man's head rest on his right shoulder. He removed the Ferengi's coat and draped it over him to hide the blood running from his head. It gave the appearance from a distance that the young Ferengi was merely sleeping. Bekk covered the blood trails by kicking at the dirt with his boots before following after Dehar Master.
The two Klingons walked side by side toward the nightclub. As they approached Dehar Master turned to Bekk. He placed a hand against his subordinate to bring him to a stop. "There was no reason for you to kill that boy," Dehar Master said, disgust coloring his words.
"He was annoying me. Probably would have robbed us if he had the chance," Bekk said with a smirk. He motioned for the Dehar Master to continue walking. The older Klingon followed, eager to be done with the assignment.
Once the two made it to the cross-walk at the end of the street Dehar Master signaled for Bekk to take the front entrance. He would take the back. The two split up sprinting to their assigned areas. As Dehar Master reached the back door he pulled a comm unit from a concealed pocket and opened a channel to their awaiting ship. Dehar Master uttered only a single word, "execute". The command was to start the next phase of the operation. The ship would block out communications and transporters until the job was finished. Long enough to kill their target and get back underway.
Bekk marched a hurried pace to the front entrance. A few paces from the entrance Bekk watched as two patrons stepped out of the club. They looked only briefly at him as they turned to head further up the street. "They're looking at me with those twisted ugly faces," Bekk thought. He pulled his disruptor pistol.
Bekk aimed his disruptor at the Bolian male first. The bright green orb of energy struck the man in the back between the shoulder blades. The orb of energy disrupted the molecular bonds of his internal organs reducing them to soup. The man collapsed face first into the dirt. Before his date, a Romulan woman, could turn to see their attacker, Bekk fired his second shot. The bolt of energy struck her in the face as she had turned. Her body jumped from the last signal her brain gave before being reduced to mush, and fell backward onto the ground.
Bekk quickly moved to the doorway of the club. An Orion bouncer had seen the commotion from inside the lobby and walked toward the door. He pushed the door open to check for survivors. Bekk pressed his disruptor's emitter under the bouncer's chin and pulled the trigger. The bolt of energy fired at such a velocity that the Orion's face was peeled off, atomized, and sprayed over Bekk's face and hair. Bekk grinned and laughed as the Orion fell to the floor. The gore had mostly turned to ash but some blood and tissue survived. A small Ferengi ran out of the lobby heading back into the club. "He'll live for another day," Bekk thought while still wearing the remains of the Orion's face.
Flashes of neon pink and blue light flashed and swirled from the laser light show of Carnality's most popular nightclub. The club's DJ was on a stage opposite the bar. He was mixing sound and prerecorded musical beats to keep the crowd entertained, intertwined with the sound system were the controls for the club's various light fixtures allowing the DJ to change the ambient, task, and feature lighting to match the tempo, rhythm, and beat of the music he played. Pyrotechnics built into alcoves at the base of the stage were used for additional flash. Unbeknownst to most of the club's patrons, the pyrotechnics were strictly holograms.
Catia V'tor Petrov sat at the edge of the bar farthest from the front entrance. She had spent the last two hours dancing with the other patrons. Many of the men had been easily swayed by her attire, a thin loose fitting one piece bodysuit that left little to the imagination. Her red and black garment was a type of smart cloth utilizing synthetic chromatophores which would turn semi-transparent in low light. In the club's mixed lighting, her dance partners were getting occasional glimpses of her naked body.
Dancing was one thing. Catia had struck out on convincing any of the men to join her at the bar; at least, struck out with the guys she actually wanted to take to bed. Catia sat with her elbows resting on the bar, head in hands, attempting to read the alien languages printed on the bottles behind the bar. The music continued to bombard Catia with beats that seem to pulse through her whole body. Lethean Electronica was new to Catia but the Bajoran DJ seemed well versed in it.
"I wonder if they take issue with me being half-Klingon or if the issue is that I'm federation," Catia thought as she continued to study the liquor behind the bar. The Bartender behind the counter, a stout Lurian woman, placed a tray of drinks on the bar next to Catia. A slender Orion man grabbed the tray and walked along the edge of the dancing crowd. He was headed for the tables lining one of the walls. Catia looked down at her drink. Her reflection contrasted with the dark liquid. Her coarse blond hair which stood on end, vibrant blue eyes and fair skin stared back at her looking more exhausted than she felt. The tattoo under her left eye looked a bit droopy.
Catia V'tor Petrov had spent the last three months assigned to the Solanae Dyson Sphere assisting Starfleet and the joint operations there with the Klingons and Romulans. The work had become tedious. Nothing more than supply runs and escorting field crews to various structures. Catia didn't consider herself a Klingon culturally but a lack of combat still frustrated her. She had come to the old New Providence settlement, on leave, in order to get away from her rank and position for a while. The holosuites worked well enough to satisfy her bloodlust but it did little to quell her loneliness, another reason she had come here.
The DJ ended the song he was currently playing, a mix of Tellarite dubstep and Lethean Electronica, and switched to a prerecorded song from earlier in the night. The DJ jumped down from the stage and walked over to the bar for refreshment. Catia sat at the edge of the bar eyeing the DJ. She gulped down the rest of her drink and straightened up in her chair to speak, "Can I buy you a drink?"
"You most certainly can," said the DJ with a smile. The man was tall with well-toned muscle, lean yet still impressive. He was covered in sweat which gave his bare skin an attractive sheen in the varied light of the club. He wore a pair of dark colored slops with luminescent paint sprayed along the sleeves and running over his bare chest and back. Despite the low light around the bar Catia could see the man was missing the earring Bajorans often wore.
Catia signaled over to the Lurian working behind the bar. The Bartender signaled back then returned her attention to another patron. The Lurian placed two drinks on the bar for a Lethean and his lady friend, a Vulcan woman, before stepping over to see what Catia wanted. The Lurian moved with a limp and leaned on the bar for support. Once the Bartender appeared to be within ear shot Catia spoke, "I'll take a Yridian ale," Catia said.
The Lurian bartender held up a finger. She was about to ask which brand of Yridian ale when Catia cut her off. "Whatever you got. Also put what he wants on my tab." Catia pointed to the DJ prompting the Lurian to look at him. "I'll take an ale as well," the DJ said.
Catia pushed out the chair next to her with her right leg so the DJ could sit next to her. She pushed the chair for another reason too. Her garment's smart cloth had turned semi-transparent in the low light near the bar. Catia was offering the DJ a good look at her naked body. The DJ's eyes opened wide for a quick second before he regained his composure and sat down.
"You look good up there," Catia said. The Lurian placed two cups on the bar in front of them and began pouring their drinks. "Yep," The DJ said. He spoke with an almost dismissive tone. He grabbed one of the glasses and downed the contents in one gulp. Catia grabbed her drink from the counter, "What time you off?"
Catia would have preferred to meet someone she could spend time with during her whole stay but she was getting impatient and chose to settle for a man's attention for the evening. "Besides, I still have two more weeks to find the right liberty buddy," she thought.
The DJ placed his empty glass on the bar and stood up. He leaned in toward Catia and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks for the drink but I'm not interested." The DJ turned and walked to the back area beside the bar. He was heading to the refreshers in the back.
Catia's Klingon instincts were at the forefront of her mind as she watched the man walk away from her. In that moment she wasn't sure if she wanted to snap his neck for rejecting her or force him into the refresher and have her way with him. She kept her butt planted in the seat as the more rational parts of her brain got the better of her. Constantly trying to control her emotional impulses was exhausting but as a Starfleet officer she refused to give into such petty emotions. Catia motioned to the Lurian Bartender for another drink.
Catia downed another glass of Yridian ale. She then got up from her chair. A bottle of Nausicaan whiskey sat at the edge of the bar. Catia grabbed it and moved over to a table closer to the dance floor. As she pulled out a chair facing the stage a small Ferengi man ran up to her. Catia immediately recognized him but it was the first time she had seen him panicked. She had met him at another club two nights ago. He had been the one to suggest this club. It belonged to his cousin. The club had cheaper booze, a live DJ and less of a federation presence among its patrons.
"What's wrong, Puck?" Catia asked. Puck's face was pale and he looked panicked beyond reason. She leaned over and picked him up like a child. Catia wasn't particularly short but her Ferengi friend was certainly shorter than most Ferengi. Catia sat him in the chair and ran a comforting hand over the Ferengi's bald head.
"There's a Klingon warrior outside, he killed Lenny!" Puck shouted while staring vacantly at the stage. "I think he's going to kill you," Puck's initial panic seemed to dissipate. He turned to Catia, his eyes wide, "you gotta run!"
Puck hopped out of the chair grabbed Catia by the arm and tried to run. Catia didn't budge. "How would you know if people were planning to kill me?" Catia asked. Puck let go of her arm. Catia sat down in the chair she had pulled out and opened the bottle of whiskey. She took a swig before looking at Puck waiting for his answer.
A Klingon warrior walked in from the lobby. He kept his weapons holstered and his eyes open looking for his target. Another Klingon came from the back area behind the bar. His weapons also sheathed but he stayed in the back. The younger Klingon moved up to the bar and turned around to scan the room.
"I monitor communications that come in and out of this city. It's a side gig. Anyway, I intercepted a communiqué from a Lethean mercenary and a ship called the Bij. They are looking for a Starfleet Klingon. They said something about a delivery so I didn't think anything of it until I saw them shoot Lenny." Puck was trying his best to stay calm. He glanced occasionally at the bar as he spoke.
Catia kept her eyes toward the stage. She looked for reflective surfaces to get a glimpse of her assassins. She finally decided to hold up the glass bottle of whiskey to see the reflection of a Klingon warrior. He had just spotted her and was walking over. Other patrons continued to dance and talk, oblivious to the gore outside.
"He's coming over, I got an idea," Puck said. He pulled back his left sleeve and pressed on something. His eyes went wide after a second and he pressed another button before letting the sleeve fall.
"Thanks for leading me to my friend, Ferengi," Bekk said in a mocking tone.
Catia felt a disruptor pistol press into her back. She leaned into her chair allowing the disruptor to dig in a little. She held up the bottle of whiskey for her assassin. "Want a drink?" She asked.
"Maybe after," Bekk said pulling the trigger on his disruptor. The emitter emitted only a flash of light and a low whine. Bekk pulled the disruptor away and stared at it. Puck laughed and smiled. He held up his left arm to show a device attached to his forearm. "I installed this baby to stop fools like you from killing my cousin's customers," he said. His laughter came out as though someone was strangling a tribble.
Bekk threw the now useless disruptor pistol at the small Ferengi man hitting him in the face. Puck squealed in pain gripping his face. Blood ran from his mouth. He stumbled back a few steps shielding his face with his hands.
Bekk reached for his d'k tahg intent on killing his target with it. In one quick motion Catia swiveled and stood trapping the d'k tahg in its sheath. Bekk thrust his head forward smashing his ridged forehead into Catia's knocking her back. Music drowned out the melee with only a few patrons gawking at the unusual site. With the distance he created, Bekk pulled his d'k tahg and extended its secondary blades.
Catia grabbed the whiskey bottle from her table and shattered it on the table corner before pointing it at Bekk. "Gun! Gun! Gun," someone shouted. Catia glanced over to see an old Klingon attempt to shoot her with his disruptor. The pistol glowed for a second and smoke puffed out of the emitter visible despite the low light. The dancing crowd panicked and started running for the exits.
Bekk lunged at Catia with his d'k tahg. Catia stepped back until her butt ran into Puck. She reached for him with her free hand. Puck didn't hesitate; he grabbed her hand and began walking her back toward the stage. Catia allowed the Ferengi to guide her.
Dehar Master charged forward, bat'leth in arms. He swung the blunt ends at patrons as he made his way through the panicking crowd. After hitting two patrons hard enough to knock them unconscious the crowd fanned out to give the older Klingon plenty of room to get by. Once near the tables Dehar Master charged with his bat'leth raised for a vertical strike. The music no longer fit the chaos as it neared the end of the track.
Catia exchanged a few strikes with Bekk. He was a skilled combatant. Catia saw the other Klingon charging forward. There was no way to fight two Klingons in the confined space between the tables and the lower dance floor. Catia tightened her grip on Puck and launched him over the railing. The Ferengi landed hard on his right side. He shrieked in pain as the song ended. Unnoticed by the fleeing crowd and the combatants, the DJ walked calmly back to the stage.
Catia jumped over the railing avoiding the strikes from the two assassins. She landed easily on the dance floor but tucked into a roll out of an abundance of caution. Hearing the d'k tahg strike the floor behind her made her realize she made the right choice. Catia spun around and quickly picked up the d'k tahg as the two Klingons jumped down to the dance floor. They both had their bat'leths at the ready.
The DJ started pressing buttons on his controls. He selected several music tracks and a large list of sound files before hitting a record feature. The light lowered waiting to respond to his music. The crowd had fully evacuated leaving the DJ, the Bartender, Puck, and the three Klingons alone in the club. The DJ watched and waited for the Klingons to move.
Dehar Master moved first. He charged toward Catia keeping his bat'leth close to his own body. He did not over commit to any one attack. The DJ matched the movements with the sound files of hard hitting drums to match each strike that connected. The song playing as the base of the compilation set a dramatic tone with the flare of the beats timed by the DJ reminding all the combatants of the legendary Klingon operas performed in the First City. Catia parried the strikes made by Dehar Master but he was keeping her off balance. Bekk waited for the right opening before jumping into the melee.
Anticipating the attack, Catia stepped into the two attacks catching one blade with the d'k tahg and grabbing the other bat'leth by the third handle at the top of the swing. The move jerked her body at an odd angle. Catia dropped the d'k tahg she was using and latched onto Bekk's bat'leth with both hands. She pulled at the weapon spinning Bekk to put him between her and Dehar Master. She continued to move him around each time Dehar Master attempted a strike.
Bekk thrust a boot into Catia's knee. The strike made her left knee wobble. Sharp pain radiated from the joint. Bekk tried for another strike but Catia jumped back and swung the bat'leth in a circle before wrenching it away from Bekk. The act had caught the Klingon at the right angle snapping several fingers on his right hand. Before the younger Klingon could react Catia brought the bat'leth down on his head.
The blade connected with Bekk's forehead ridges. The dense bones buckled and shattered. Blood sprayed from the wound as the Klingon flopped to the floor unconscious. Catia knew the strike wouldn't kill the younger Klingon. Head wounds bleed a lot and Klingons, like many species, were no different in that respect.
Dehar Master charged at Catia before she could strike a finishing blow on the younger man. He thrust his bat'leth out in a twirling motion while placing himself between Catia and his fallen comrade. He had switched to a defensive posture keeping his bat'leth close to his body as before. Catia quickly realized in that moment that her back was now facing the entrance to the club. She took a step back and then another, slowly making her way to the door while keeping her guard up.
The DJ on stage continued to match his music with the combatants on the dance floor. The beats had subsided and the rhythm slowed as Catia continued to head for the door. Dehar Master started to advance toward her. "If I turn and run he'll cut me down. If I don't pick up the pace he'll cut me down," Catia thought. Fear and exhaustion were creeping into her head.
The older Klingon made her choice for her. Four paces in he charged at a full run and extended his bat'leth in a low horizontal strike, dropped to his knees as she jumped over his blade and slid ahead of her. He finished the move by spinning to his feet and bringing the blade around for a vertical strike. Catia blocked the bat'leth but was still thrown off balance by the strength of the attack. Dehar Master was now blocking her escape.
The older Klingon advanced on Catia before she could think. His strikes were fast and strong. They were executed flawlessly as though the Klingon's arms and bat'leth were one in the same. Catia was quickly becoming exhausted. She had never taken to the bat'leth as a child. Her human mother had taught her hand-to-hand combat and later after her mother had died, her father tried to train her as a warrior. She fled instead, joining Starfleet years later. Only in recent years had Catia taken up training with melee weapons. Human swordsmanship was something she had yet to fully master.
Catia felt a sharp sting in her left arm, the result of one of the inner blades piercing deep. Dehar master struck two more quick blows, one next to her right collar bone and another just above her pelvis on the left side. Her blood flowed from her wounds exhausting her further. Catia's defense fell apart quicker than she expected. Dehar Master caught her blade with the inner and outer blades on one side of his bat'leth pinching one of the grips. He tore her bat'leth from her grip and followed it with a strike to her forehead just above her eyes.
The blow knocked Catia to the floor. Her vision blurred and a wave of dizziness washed over her. She watched in horror as the older Klingon walked up to her. He raised his blade to finish her off. "Today is a good day to die. May you find Stovokor," the old Klingon said. Catia noticed in that moment the music from the DJ was no longer playing and the lights had gone dim.
Catia watched Dehar Master begin to bring the bat'leth down on her head only for a bright yellow orb of light and super heated particles to shoot through the older Klingon's chest. His eyes were wide in shock as he tried to finish his attack. Catia pushed the bat'leth away as the old Klingon fell on top of her.
TWO
Catia's eyesight returned to her gradually. She hadn't realized she had even lost consciousness. Seeing the excessively wrinkled face of a Ferengi contorted as he tried to pull an elderly corpse off her was enough of a sign she had fainted for at least a few minutes. Catia watched the straining Ferengi as she moved her arms and legs. Her injuries still hurt but she could feel the tug of bandages over her wounds.
Catia sat up assisting Puck by shoving the old Klingon's body. Puck let the body go in that instance and it flopped onto the floor. Catia heard the crack of small bones as the old man's face hit the ground. Puck dusted himself off as another Ferengi walked over. The Ferengi was older than Puck and walked with a jeweled cane. Much like the young Ferengi he wore a multicolored suit. The more vibrant color palette was an obvious sign of the older man's status and wealth.
The older Ferengi extended a hand to Catia. "Catia, this is my cousin Brenon," Puck said with a smile.
Catia took the older Ferengi's hand. He was stronger than he appeared, pulling her up onto her knees. "It's a pleasure to meet you Catia," Brenon said with a gravelly voice. He looked her up and down with a satisfied look. Catia's outfit had become transparent in the dim light exposing most of her body to the few people left in the club. Some parts of the garment were damaged, torn and bloody, causing the fabric's synthetic chromatophores to malfunction leaving large patches of solid red and black.
Catia stood up while still holding the older Ferengi's hand. "Where is the younger Klingon?" Catia asked.
Puck cleared his throat but it was Brenon that spoke. "Look behind you, beautiful," Brenon said. He had released her hand and pointed past her.
Catia turned around. Near the stage Bekk sat in a chair taken from one of the tables. His hands were restrained behind his back using the chair's back rest. His face was covered in new and old wounds with blood running down to his waist. He had been stripped of his armor and tunic.
The Bajorian DJ stood next to the restrained Klingon. He held a meat mallet in one hand while watching the Klingon. He occasionally tapped the mallet against his chest rhythmically while studying his prisoner.
"What are you planning to do to him?" Catia asked.
"We were waiting on you. Normally I'd let Mira here…" Brenon motioned toward The DJ despite Catia being turned away from him- "…kill him slowly but the stupid Klingon told us that he has a ship in low orbit with its weapons trained on the city." Brenon walked past Catia getting closer to the younger Klingon. "Tell my beautiful friend what you told me," Brenon said to the Klingon. After a few seconds of silence Brenon pressed a jeweled button on his cane. A small blade extended from the end of the cane. Brenon pressed the blade into Bekk's belly. The Klingon winced only slightly as Brenon twisted the blade.
"Torturing won't work on me Ferengi," Bekk said through broken teeth. Blood poured from his mouth with the effort. Brenon pulled the blade out and thrust it back in. Bekk continued to sit stone faced as though nothing had happened.
"Wait, he spoke before didn't he?" Catia asked. The DJ shrugged and the two Ferengi turned and looked at her. Brenon removed the blade from the Klingon man's belly and retracted the blade before returning the cane to his side.
"If you have questions V'Tor, daughter of Kreshk, I will answer them," Bekk did his best to speak in a measured tone despite the damage inflicted on his face.
Catia approached the chair. Bekk's mention of her Klingon name was an explanation only to those with the knowledge of Klingon politics. It was a subject nearly foreign to Catia but she did live in the empire for a few years and she knew her family and the house they served. Catia's father and his family served the house of Torg for centuries. They served mostly as farmers and mechanics but some like Kreshk were honored warriors.
"Why do you want me dead?" Catia asked.
"I don't want anything from you. The Dehar Master there thought highly of you. It was his idea that we come down here and kill you in honorable combat." Bekk spoke in an even tone despite the blood that poured steadily from the sides of his mouth.
"Who wants me dead?" Catia asked with a bit of irritation in her voice.
"The order comes from J'mpok," Bekk said. He turned and looked her in the eyes while spitting a globule of blood. The glob landed on his bare chest and rolled down to the knife wounds left by Brenon.
"Why does the Klingon chancellor want me dead?" Catia shouted. Her anger was beginning to get the better of her.
"He wants all his enemies dead. You are part of house Torg, the remnants of which has been aiding Lady J'ula and her fleet. You are also part of the Federation. Recent reports has identified a federation vessel aiding J'ula in several key engagements. That is why we were ordered to kill you," Bekk said. His damaged teeth made it increasingly difficult for him to speak.
"I haven't been anywhere near Klingon space since I was a little girl," Catia said through gritted teeth. "J'mpok has sent you on a fool's errand."
Catia grabbed a bat'leth that had been lying on the ground near the Dehar Master's body. She brought it over to Bekk. "Would you like your warrior's death now?"
Brenon tapped his cane lightly on the bat'leth with just enough force to get Catia's attention. "My people would like some time with him my fair lady. His death will be slow and painful, Mira Donnel will see to it." Brenon pointed his cane at the Bajoran DJ. The man smiled at the mention of his name. He twirled the meat mallet in his hand before swinging it hard against the captive Klingon's jawline. The mallet hit with a crunch. Bekk tensed up in a sudden jolt before sagging limply in his chair.
"The Bekk had told us that the vessel they have in orbit is monitoring the life signs of its away team. If we kill him now then the ship will bomb us from orbit," Brenon spoke to Catia with a stern voice and threatening demeanor. It was clear he was speaking as though he were ordering her rather than suggesting a course of action. "You and my cousin will take the hopper I have parked in the garage out back and use it to board the Klingon ship. You will shutdown their jamming efforts so that we can reach the Nandi warship councilman Kosk so lovingly brags can defend our city."
Catia started to protest. "Do this one little task for me Catia and all the damage you caused here will be forgiven." Brenon started to walk toward the bar with Mira dragging the unconscious Klingon still tied to the chair behind him. About half way he turned back around, "oh, but don't think that I won't expect you to still pay your tab." Brenon continued to walk over to the bar laughing. It sounded to Catia like someone was choking a cat.
Brenon's threat rang hollow to Catia. She was a Starfleet Captain. Brenon couldn't expect to dole out any punishment on her without catching the eye of the Federation. Still, as a Starfleet officer, Catia felt obligated to help. As a Klingon she wasn't about to run and hide either. Not that she could get vary far without Brenon or Puck's help.
Puck grabbed the weapons off the ground they had pilfered from the assassins. He held the pile of weapons and motioned for Catia to follow him by nodding his head. Catia followed Puck into the club's kitchen. Puck placed the weapons on a prep table, "Pick what you need."
"If the ship in orbit is monitoring us couldn't they start firing once we get outside, or beam down more warriors to finish the job?" Catia asked. She slung a bat'leth on her back while waiting for an explanation.
"The rest of the city is likely aware that something bad is going on so guards will likely be outside. Mira also took scans of your bio signature while you were unconscious. As far as the Bij is concerned the three of you are moving around the club looking for each other." Puck pulled a device from a jacket pocket. "This device will mask our bio signatures long enough to get to the ship and disable it."
Catia had ripped her sleeves off and tied them together to make a belt. She tied fabric around her waist and slipped a d'k tahg and disruptor pistol into it. Catia's garment was in bad enough shape it would never be used again. Tearing the sleeves was more difficult then she thought it would be and the right sleeve ripped at the wound she had sustained near her collar bone. The garment was opaque in the bright kitchen light with the top part of the garment looking like tattered rags barely covering her right breast. "So, how are we getting to the Bij?" Catia asked when she finished arming herself.
Puck had slung the Dehar Master's disruptor to his back as though it were a rifle. He then knelt down and reached for something under a hidden panel in the floor. Puck pulled a belt from the hidden compartment and buckled it around his waist. The belt had a thigh holster attached with a Ferengi phaser. Several pouches appeared to be loaded with heavy items.
"My cousin has a lady friend that pilots a shuttle called a hopper. Its military grade from her people," Puck said while adjusting his gear. "Come," Puck said as he headed for the back door.
Catia followed Puck out the back of the club. Catia's first thought was to get low and dart behind cover but she quickly noticed that Puck was jogging openly to a concrete building at the edge of the block. As they got closer Catia noticed a small junkie looking shuttle parked on the roof of the building. The shuttle sat on skids with eight small impulse drives under the shuttle's belly. A larger impulse drive was attached to the aft of the shuttle and maneuvering thrusters were present all over the little craft. It wasn't clear to Catia if the shuttle was more agile due to the additional impulse drives or if the owner was simply insane.
Once the pair made it to the entrance to the building Puck knocked on the door in a code. A sliding shutter on the door slid open. A pair of eyes studied them for a second. "Who is it?" A voice asked just behind the door.
"Puck, I've come for a lift. Brenon sent me," Puck said while leaning against the door.
The shutter slid closed before Catia heard multiple locks being unlatched. The door flew open, an Orion stood in the doorway with a rifle drawn. He pointed the weapon at Catia. "Can she be trusted Puck?" The Orion asked.
"We need her if we are going to destroy the Klingon jamming," Brenon said. He grabbed the barrel of the Orion's rifle and pointed it down. "She's Starfleet, trust runs in their blood, or something," Puck said in a dismissive tone. The Orion lowered his weapon and stepped off to the side as Puck entered, Catia close behind. "Is mouse home?" Puck asked.
"She's here, upstairs." The Orion spoke from his post near the door. He shut and locked it right after answering Puck's question. The entryway opened into a garage with two flying cars. Both were Vulcan models, more aesthetically pleasing than practical. They took up most of the space in the garage.
Catia followed Puck past the cars over to the stairway. Heat still radiated from one of the vehicles. No doubt the car Brenon had driven to the club. Catia followed Puck to the second floor. The second floor had multiple rooms divided down a central hallway. The door at the end of the hall led to an outer stairway that granted access to the rooftop.
The whole garage was decorated like a house with posters and furniture, even potted plants. Puck stopped short of the first door, "Mouse, where you at?" Puck sounded a bit nervous scanning the closed doors with his eyes. His hands were no where near any of his weapons. Catia nudged the short Ferengi urging him to move forward.
The third door opened revealing a tiny bipedal alien. The humanoid creature stood about 90 to 100 centimeters. Aside from her short stature she had two antennae and pointed ears as her most distinguishing features. The alien woman could almost pass for a human child. Catia recognized the species. They were new to to Federation but had already swelled the ranks by the hundreds of thousands. "You're Hera-Su," Catia said in surprise.
Mouse looked up at the two of them quizzically. "I am, what of it?" Mouse asked. She wore a cheap and ragged flight suit. It was a common suit among private pilots for hire.
"I'm just surprised to see a Hera-Su outside the Federation is all," Catia said. She couldn't help but think of the woman as a little kid playing dress-up. It wasn't common knowledge but the rumor was that the Hera-Su actually were stuck in a child-like form once mature. Neoteny, if Catia remembered the term correctly.
"Brenon wants you to take us up to a Klingon Bird-Of-Prey called the Bij. Its erected a jamming field over the city," Puck said interrupting Catia's thoughts.
"Head up to the roof, I'll be up there in a second," the tiny pilot said as she darted into the room she came from.
Catia followed Puck out the door at the end of the hall and up to the roof. Standing next to the Hera-Su hopper craft Catia realized just how small the craft really was. The cockpit was a two-seater that opened from the top. The seats were placed with one behind the other and configured to be straddled with one leg on each side. The craft's pilot would be mounting up as if riding a motorcycle. The crew compartment was also small and appeared to have doors on either side that would lift up to allow people to disembark in a hurry. Catia was taller than the craft's crew compartment and stared at it in shock. Puck seemed not to notice her bewilderment.
A chime sounded as the craft opened up. The crew compartment and cockpit opened at the same time. Mouse stepped up onto the roof with a small remote in her hand. "The two of you are a little big so I suggest you each lay down on one side of the troop bay. Once we get going it may get a little bumpy but once we get outside the jamming field I should be able to find the Bij by tracing the source of the jamming field." Mouse climbed into the cockpit and pulled a helmet over her head before shutting the cockpit.
Catia watched the tiny pilot's hands dance over toggles and switches as the craft began to come to life. "You want this side ma'am?" Puck asked with his hands pointed at the troop compartment. "Sure," Catia said lacking enthusiasm. The troop compartment had a row of seats lining the center of the craft's interior. It was designed to hold up to 24 sitting Hera-Su with twelve on each side.
Catia slipped into the compartment lying down on the deck. The base of the seats dug into her left side. Catia didn't quite fit head to foot in the compartment. She had to bend her legs and her neck was bent with her head resting on the back of the compartment. Puck had an easier time on the other side of the craft. Like Catia, he still had to lay on the deck.
Mouse pressed a button on her controls to shut the troop compartment. "We'll be moving at high velocity to avoid possible fire. Don't worry the gravity plating and inertial dampeners are functioning so we won't get turned into chowder." Mouse's tone was jovial yet tinged with worry as her voiced poured into the troop compartment. Before Catia could protest she felt the craft lift off forcing her down until the ship's life support systems compensated for the acceleration.
Catia could only occasionally hear what sounded like small debris hitting the craft's hull as it moved around. After what felt like a full minute, Puck sat up and started pressing buttons on an overhead console. "What are you doing Puck?" Catia asked. She was feeling antsy not being able to see what was going on.
"I'm trying to pull up external sensors onto the overhead monitors," Puck said with a toothy grin. Catia tried to sit patiently as she could only hear Puck's efforts until one of the monitors came to life. "Its working Puck, thank you." Catia was only slightly relieved. She had to tilt her head at an awkward angle to see the screen.
The monitor above Catia cycled through several external feeds. The visual sensors had several data types overlaid simultaneously. Catia could see streams of green disruptor fire raining down from the sky. It seemed to have trouble hitting the small hopper. "Why aren't we ascending?" Catia asked.
Puck shrugged despite Catia being unable to see him. "We'd be shot down if we try to climb," Mouse said through the communication system. Her voice was void of emotion.
"I wasn't sure you could hear me," Catia said.
"The troop compartment has a voice activated comm system. Its so nobody has to find a button in an emergency." The Hera-Su pilot seemed more than happy to talk about her ship. Her voice wasn't even strained despite some of the weapons fire getting closer. "We just need to get outside the jamming field so I can beam you to the Bij," Mouse said.
Catia looked up and for the first time and noticed a transporter pad built into the hopper's overhead interior. "Puck, be ready. I think we are almost out of the field." Catia struggled to position her arm to reach for a weapon, catching the edge of the seats and a handle on the hopper's door before she got a hand free. She grabbed the disruptor pistol from her makeshift belt and held it at the ready.
"How do you know we are almost out?" Puck asked. The two passengers suddenly felt the unmistakable sensation of the annular confinement beam as their molecules were broken down and sent into the pattern buffer for transport. Mouse had activated the transporter, punched in the calculations for the coordinates to beam them in based on the source of the jamming field and the disruptor fire and cross referencing it with the standard layout of a B'rel class Bird-of-Prey, all before exiting the jamming field. She was beaming her troops into the cargo bay giving them a chance to collect themselves before taking the ship down from the inside.
Three
"What's going on!" A voice roared in the dark. Catia raised her pistol and fired at the voice. A yelp sounded from the same direction as the voice and then a loud thud seemed to shake the deck. Lights activated first in a dim red then followed up with a brighter white.
Catia found herself lying on the deck of a berthing space aboard a Klingon vessel. The sound of disruptor fire woke the crew sleeping on their beds. Several Klingons, Letheans, and Nausicaans stirred from their bunks. Catia fired in every direction she saw movement. When the movement stopped she sat up. To her left Puck sat in the fetal position. He hadn't even drawn a weapon.
Catia got to her feet carefully and tugged on Puck's arm. "We got to go before someone hits an alarm," Catia said just above a whisper. She looked up at a bunk across the berthing from her position. An Orion man had sat up looking at her but didn't move. "He's probably hoping I don't see him," Catia thought.
Catia raised her disruptor and fired at the Orion man. His head disappeared in a flash of green light and flash steamed gore as his body fell on the opposite side of his bed. "Let's move puck!" Catia shouted pulling the small Ferengi to his feet. Once on his feet Puck pulled his Ferengi pistol and ran for the nearest door.
Catia looked for other signs of movement as she followed the Ferengi. The Berthing was large enough to accommodate most of the crew. It was impossible to know how many people might still be hiding among the bunks. Everyone around the floor where they had beamed in were dead. Once she was at the door Catia crouched to the side of the door.
Puck had clearly never been involved in combat operations. He had run to the door without looking around and he only took cover at the side of the door after he witnessed Catia do the same. He was armed but he didn't even try to hold the weapon at the ready. Catia watched her surroundings as Puck got ready to open the door. "We need to get to the Bridge or Engineering if we want to disable the jamming field," Catia said.
"Engineering is the best option, we'll get killed before we make it to the bridge," Puck said a bit forcefully. He looked at Catia to see her face twisted in anger. "Well, I'll get killed before we make it to the bridge," Puck said with a wry smile. Puck pulled the door control panel from the wall and clipped a few of the wires with pliers from his belt. He quickly spliced a small device between the wires before placing the door panel back in its place.
Puck nodded his head in the direction of the door, "The device will give me access to the ship's unrestricted systems". Puck held up his left arm to show Catia a small forearm mounted computer. "You should know that the same device that is hiding our bio signatures is also allowing our flagship, the Liquidator to track the general location of the Bij," Puck said while he stared at his wrist mounted display.
Growing impatient, Catia lunged for the door. The door opened before she would've slammed into it. Puck quickly followed behind her. When they neared the end of a passageway Puck instructed her on where to go. He had used the device he planted to get the ship's schematics. The pair made it through two decks of winding passageways before an alarm sounded. With their bio signatures jammed the enemy would have to search deck by deck to find them. With their current man power shortages, Catia and Puck would have time.
Catia couldn't help but notice that Puck was avoiding the turbolift. "Smart move, keeps us from getting stuck in a powered down turbolift," she thought. When they neared a maintenance shaft Puck stopped and started to tug at the access panel. Catia didn't wait for him to ask, she grabbed, twisted, and pulled the panel from the bulkhead. The access panels normally were easy to remove but corrosion had nearly sealed the panel to the bulkhead.
Puck stopped Catia just outside a maintenance hatch leading to engineering. "I was able to access the internal sensors. There are twelve people in engineering right now. Six of them are armed with disruptors," Puck said while trembling. He gripped his pistol and stared at Catia.
"Any near this door?" Catia asked. She gripped him by both his shoulders. Puck looked down at his computer and tapped a few buttons before showing the screen to Catia. She studied the image. It was a layout of the engineering space with an overlay of the sensor information of the crew.
Catia pulled the short Ferengi toward her and kissed him on the lips. His breath reeked of tube grubs and the emitter on his phaser was unintentionally pointed at her chin. She used a free hand to point his weapon to the nearby bulkhead before letting him go. Puck wobbled on his legs for a moment. "There's more if you survive," Catia said as she started for the door. Puck followed her, dazed and hopeful of what was to come.
The commander of the Bij was a shrewd Klingon warrior. He prided himself in choosing the winning side of any conflict. He had no problems targeting civilians and Starfleet personnel that felt they could meddle in Klingon affairs. He'd have sooner blasted them from orbit but the Dehar Master was a long time friend of the family. He wouldn't go against the wishes of a respected warrior and friend when that warrior wanted to eliminate their target in honorable combat. The problem he currently faced had him reflecting on his choices.
When a small shuttle attempted to flee, the Commander thought it was a group of desperate party goers trying to make it back to one of the freighters in orbit. Once a member of his crew sounded the alarm that they had been boarded with a number of his crew being killed in their beds, the commander realized that the operation was quickly getting out of hand. The crew were unable to track the intruders due to a dampening field of some kind preventing the intruders from showing up on sensors. Bij's commander ordered his warriors to take key areas of the ship and defend them. With many of his crew dead in the berthing, the commander no longer had the man power to send patrols to find the intruders.
A Ferengi Nandi Warship and two freighters appeared on sensors shortly after evidence of intruders were discovered. The Klingon at Ops quickly informed the rest of the bridge of the tactical situation developing in orbit. The commander of the Bij ordered his engineers to increase the field to encompass the ship and surrounding space. With Dehar Master and his assistant still trying to kill their target, the Bij was now caught between supporting its ground team and hiding from local authorities. The Ferengi Warship was formidable enough to pose a significant threat to the Bij alone but with assistance from two heavily modified freighters, the Bij had little hope of escape.
Engineering on the Bij was one of the larger spaces on the ship. The horizontally aligned warp core sat at the center of the space. Catwalks ran the length of the core with computer terminals strategically placed at key points along the core to monitor and maintain the ship's primary source of power. Engineering was built to prioritize maintenance and operations of the ship's day to day systems. Comfort and security had taken a back seat in the design of the space.
Engineers moved about the space monitoring gauges and readouts. The continuous operation of the Bij's main deflector system to generate a jamming field was taxing on the ship while it remained cloaked and in stationary orbit. Most of the engineers in the space were not Klingon. They served in the Klingon Defense Force as conscripts and volunteers but carried out their duties professionally. Six well-armed warriors moved about the space trying to avoid the engineers where they could. Six were all that was deemed necessary to protect engineering given the wide-open space around the core.
No single member of the crew occupying engineering saw the small maintenance door on the starboard side open. None of the crew saw a Klingon woman in tattered clothing or a colorful Ferengi run in and hop down into the engineering pit. The first sign of an intruder in engineering came from a Nausicaan man that had crawled out of a maintenance shaft under the warp core. He barely shouted a syllable before taking a green bolt of energy to the face. The engineer died instantly never seeing his contribution to the events ahead.
Catia guarded Puck while he pulled explosive charges from his belt. He avoided planting them on the core directly. Instead he placed one in the maintenance shaft above the dead Nausicaan and another on a set of pipes leading to the core. Catia heard the engineers and warriors scurry about in a panic. None had decided to open fire.
"We need to find the console controls for the main deflector system," Puck announced suddenly.
"Those Klingons are going to start shooting at anytime now Puck," Catia said in a whispered shout. "I don't think we are going to be looking for anything."
"Look…" Puck pointed to his wrist mounted computer screen. The schematic showed the layout of the engineering space along the port side- "...The terminal should be along the port side. If I can get over there than I can shut down the field, destroy the terminal and detonate the explosives," Puck said with a frantic look on his face.
"I'll try to.." Two Klingons and a Lethean interrupted Catia by jumping down into the pit a few feet from their location. One Klingon raised his rifle and fired a shot. The bolt of energy hit the deck near Catia's feet. It was clear the warrior was afraid of hitting the core. The other Klingon and the Lethean engineer both took cover behind a block shaped piece of machinery.
Catia returned fire with three quick trigger pulls. The first bolt hit the wall beside her attacker while the second and third bolts hit the man in the chest. The Klingon fell backward on the deck. Catia quickly moved to the starboard side of the pit to find cover. Before she reached the edge multiple bolts of green energy struck the deck in front of her.
"If I step out there I'm dead and if I stay under here I'm dead," Catia thought. A bolt of energy flew by her head, fired from the port side. Catia stumbled backward, tripped and banged her back on the massive bracket holding the warp core above the deck. Puck had laid flat on the deck once the shooting started. Seeing the little Ferengi lying on the ground with his wrist mounted computers exposed gave Catia an idea.
"Can you use the trick you used in the bar?" Catia asked in a shout. Puck rolled and pressed his back against the massive bracket opposite of Catia. He raised his left arm to his chest and pressed a button. The warp core shuttered suddenly. The the matter anti-matter reaction plasma began to swirl erratically.
"Its done," Puck shouted. "We need to move now!" Puck pointed to the core as Catia saw a large bright flash of discharged plasma strike the deck near the engineer she had killed. Similar arcs of plasma seemed to strike out at random. Catia hit the deck and crawled over to Puck.
Catia couldn't hear over the sound of arcing plasma, she watched puck take off. He didn't wait for her to catch up before he started crawling port side. Catia did her best to catch up to him. Once Puck was on his feet he ran past the cube shaped machinery two of their attackers sheltered behind. The two, a Klingon and a Lethean started to chase after him.
Catia pulled her d'k tahg and threw it. The blade sailed through the air like a bird and struck the Lethean in the back of the head, the blade buried to the hilt in his skull. The Lethean face planted into the deck. The sound of his body hitting the deck caught the attention of the Klingon warrior. He was armed only with a rifle. He turned and tried to fire the weapon. The emitter produced only smoke. Catia pulled her bat'leth and attacked the Klingon.
The Klingon used the rifle to block the first blow. He deflected the blade away from him and threw a quick jab with his off hand catching Catia in the mouth. Catia brought her blade up for another strike, this time to the man's genitals. The Klingon moved to block the blow as before. Catia abandoned the strike and spun around for a horizontal strike from the right. Catching the warrior in the shoulder.
The bat'leth bit deep into the Klingon's shoulder. It had cut deep enough to sever nerves causing the Klingon's left arm to sag. He dropped his rifle in the moment and tried to grab the bat'leth with his right hand. Catia pulled her bat'leth from his shoulder and brought the blade down on his skull. She struck three quick blows to his head. The first shattered the bony forehead ridges, the second shattered the man's skull and the last sank the blade deep into his brain.
The Klingon fell to the floor convulsing as several of his comrades jumped into the pit with bat'leths and mek'leths at the ready. Catia looked around for Puck but no longer saw him. "Hopefully he stays on mission," Catia thought in frustration. Her jaw hurt from the punch earlier and she was starting to taste blood. Catia barely noticed the plasma arcs had stopped when two more warriors attacked.
The ship's internal communications system cracked to life over the engineering space. "All warriors report to main engineering immediately. The intruders are there. Eliminate them," said the voice of a very angry sounding Klingon. His voice had nearly drowned out the screaming alarms.
Catia used a wide swing to keep her attackers from striking. She jumped back and took a stance she thought would give them pause. The two Klingon warriors took ready stances, intended to counter her own, and waited for back up. The remaining warrior quickly approached and took a position opposite of his comrades. He was positioned behind Catia.
The main entrance to engineering opened revealing five more warriors. They were all Klingon except for one Gorn. The new group split up as they entered. Two Klingons peeled off toward the port side out of view. Catia wasn't in any position to do anything about it. She could only hope Puck could take care of himself. The new group ran down the ramp to enter the engineering pit to join their comrades surrounding Catia. The Gorn started lumbering over at a slow pace. He wasn't in any hurry but Catia couldn't tell if it was from overconfidence or apathy.
One of the Klingons broke through her thoughts when he threw a d'k tahg at her. Catia smacked it out of the air with her blade. Her block was the opening the warriors had been waiting for. They all lunged at her. To free herself, Catia spun around extending her bat'leth as she did so. The Klingon sword connected with several others, knocking them away. Catia stepped into the attack and continued the spin. Her bat'leth connected with a mek'leth, the two blades locked. Wasting no time, Catia spun in the opposite direction catching one of the warriors off guard.
The blunt end of her sword caught a warrior in the neck. The blow frightened the man and he stepped out of the circle to check his wound. Catia charged after him to break away from the circle. Once the warrior realized he wasn't bleeding he turned around only for Catia's bat'leth to catch him in the throat. The blade past through the soft tissues of his neck, caught the dense Klingon neck bone, and push the panicked warrior to the ground. He twisted and flailed about, blood pouring from his neck as Catia and his comrades ran past.
Catia ran to the ramp forward of the engineering pit. She passed the Gorn along the way. He seemed unfazed and simply changed direction while keeping the same slow lumbering gait. Catia turned around at the base of the ramp and quickly engaged two of the faster warriors before turning and running up the ramp. Catia was badly winded once she made it up to the main engineering deck. Some of her attackers were more out-of-shape than she was. A couple Klingons lingered at the middle of the ramp waiting for their slower comrades to catch up. Only one Klingon charged up the ramp. He didn't live long enough to realize his mistake.
Catia looked around the main deck. She saw Puck at one of the consoles. He was inputting commands into a terminal. His belt was gone. Catia also noticed that several engineers and two warriors lie dead with disruptor burns. "Did he bypass his own jamming somehow," Catia thought.
Catia decided to make a run for Puck. She needed to know what was next. Puck seemed to hear her steps, He turned toward her with a Klingon disruptor pistol in hand. Catia noticed the Ferengi looked pale and sickly. He lowered the pistol when he realized she was approaching.
"I had to turn the jamming field off. It was killing me," Puck managed to say with labored breathing.
"Throw me the weapon," Catia called out. Puck threw the pistol as hard as he could. It hit the deck a meter short of Catia. She quickly dived for the pistol and aimed it at the approaching warriors. They were still out of breath but only a couple meters behind. Catia ended the attack in a few shots from the pistol.
With the three remaining Klingon warriors dead Catia turned back toward Puck. "Are you going to be okay?" Catia asked with genuine concern. The small Ferengi used devices installed within the club to jam weapons before. She thought he could use the systems in the Klingon ship to do the same but his condition hinted at something more disturbing.
"I used the power core on my wrist mounted computers to generate a radioactive field to interfere with the disruptor weapons' ability to fire. The radiation is deadly when exposed to high amounts and I'm wearing the things on my wrists. I'll be okay if we can get off this ship soon enough." Puck talked in an almost emotionless tone as he continued to mess with the console he had been working at.
"What are you doing now?" Catia asked. While listening to the small Ferengi she had seen several files spring up on the computer and get moved to an icon in the corner.
"I'm downloading the mission… files from there computer," Puck said. He seemed to swallow something back when he spoke. After finishing the sentence Puck leaned over the left side of the console and vomited. Catia placed a hand on the man's back to comfort him before her head slammed into the console screen hard enough to shatter it. Her body collapsed under the weight of something as she fell to her knees. Puck was forced to the deck into his own vomit.
Catia tried to shift the weight of what she could now tell was a dead Klingon body lying on top of her. "Someone threw a dead guy at me!"Catia's thoughts were all over the place until she remembered the Gorn that had been taking his time earlier. She pushed the dead off her and stood up to face her opponent. The movement was quick but caused her head to hurt and her vision went hazy. Catia could feel blood running from her forehead.
The Gorn was already picking up a second dead Klingon when he locked eyes with Catia. "You will die in the most painful way possible for what you have done!" The Gorn roared while raising the corpse in both his hands. He launched the corpse into the air and ran at full speed. Catia ducked to avoid the dead man and raised her weapon to fire. To her surprise the Gorn had closed enough distance that he managed to grab her arm and twist.
Catia's right arm shattered in three places as the pistol in her hand flopped to the ground. The Gorn lifted her up by the neck and thrust her whole body into the bulkhead above the console. Catia screamed in pain as the Gorn thrust her into the bulkhead again. Catia reached for the Gorn's hand with her good arm. She grabbed one of the Gorn's fingers and twisted it. The finger went limp before the Gorn lifted her over its head.
The Gorn carried Catia several steps toward the engineering pit before launching her. Catia could do nothing to stop her flight. She saw the swirling plasma within the warp core as her body flew into the core. Her body hit with a crunch and she lost her vision. She barely felt the pain as her body hit the floor. The last thing she thought she'd ever hear was her own voice moaning in pain.
Catia regained her vision. She wasn't sure how long she'd been out but knew she had a mission to complete. She wriggled her fingers on her left hand and moved her toes before attempting to get up off the deck. Catia curled up in a ball to put her legs under her body. Her whole body was in pain but still moving.
Catia began to stand when she felt a large hand wrap around the back of her neck. "Your an ugly sleeper," the Gorn said in amusement. He stood her up on her feet and turned her head to face him. "I'm not done with you," he told her while smiling and showing her his long sharp teeth. He shook her whole body violently with his arms before tossing her once more.
Catia fell hard on her left side. A sharp pain shot through her hip and her left leg started to tingle. She sat up as quick as she could. She was dizzy and her own blood was now in her eyes. She saw a pair of mek'leths next to her. Catia grabbed them and did her best to stand.
"If those Klingons were your friends, why didn't you charge in with them?" Catia asked. She was puzzled by the Gorn's words. They didn't match his actions. He seemed interested in tormenting her, that was obvious but it was clear he made no quick movements to save his comrades despite being more than capable.
The Gorn smiled at her. An expression that looked less like a smile and more akin to a threat. "I care nothing for the bags of flesh but with them dead I will have little hope of survival," the Gorn said with clenched teeth. "This ship will carry out its mission and you will die before its completion."
The Gorn continued to walk toward her with the same patience he had before. He seemed unfazed by her new acquisitions. Realizing she had more time, Catia moved over to the dead Klingon she'd killed earlier. He had a d'k tahg sheathed on a thigh holster. Catia tried to crouch but her hip screamed in protest. She bent at the waist instead and retrieved the weapon.
Catia's vision blacked out as she stood up again. "That was stupid," she thought. The Gorn snorted as he grew closer. "At least I know where you are." Catia's vision returned with haze after a few seconds. The Gorn continued to advance at a walking pace.
Catia took a few seconds more to control her breathing. She placed the two mek'leths in her make-shift belt and held the d'k tahg at the ready. The Gorn continued to smile at her as he approached. Just before he got within arms reach, Catia threw the d'k tahg. The blade flipped end over end for a few short revolutions before the Gorn smacked it away with one of his large hands. The Gorn reached for Catia nearly grabbing her left shoulder before she jumped back.
As soon as the Gorn swiped at her with his first attack Catia sprang forward. She pulled one of the mek'leth's from her belt and attacked. To her surprise the Gorn was able to pull his arms close to his body and block her attacks by allowing his forearms to absorb the strikes. The two combatants were locked into a series of blocks, parries, faints, and dodges. Catia was quickly getting exhausted with each attack. The Gorn seemed unfazed by the damage his arms were taking. His arms were covered in deep lacerations with many of them bleeding profusely. Still, he seemed unwilling to counter her attacks.
"You are trying to ware me down aren't you," Catia thought. She needed to face the truth. She wasn't striking fast at all. He should have already over powered her. Catia launched one last attack.
The mek'leth connected with the Gorn's left forearm. It sank deep into the bone. Catia tried to pull the blade back but lost her grip. Panting and out of breath with her vision fading, Catia pulled the second mek'leth from her belt and threw it. The hilt connected harmlessly with the Gorn's head.
The Gorn pulled the lodged mek'leth from his arm and tossed it aside. He then thrust his right leg out in a powerful kick that caught Catia in the chest and sent her flying backward. She hit the deck, the air emptied from her lungs and she could no longer see as she struggled to stay conscious. Catia lie on the ground struggling to breath as she felt the deck shutter violently. A voice came over the ship wide communication system.
"Where in Gre'thor is everyone? I need damage control on deck 3! The cloak is offline and we are under attack!" Bij's captain was frantic. His voice teetered on the edge of fear.
Catia felt the deck shake again. The flickering of the lights above made her realize that her vision had returned. She sat up slowly looking around. The Gorn was no longer in front of her. She heard the Gorn's heavy foot falls behind her at the top of the ramp. "Maybe he'sgoing to deck three," Catia thought.
Catia climbed up the ramp. Her legs and hips felt like they were on fire and she could barely breath. She was certain a lung had been punctured and her head felt like it might explode. Blood from her forehead no longer flowed down her face as she began to limp toward Puck. He was slumped over a different console.
Catia made it over to him and pinched one of his lobes. He moaned in pain and tried to look up. "You dropped the cloak?" Catia asked. He couldn't see it but she smiled at him. She had never seen a stronger Ferengi even if he was on the verge of death.
"Ready to get out of here?" Puck asked. He seemed to ignore her question. Puck reached into the pocket of his coat and retrieved a small detonator. "Press this, and we can go home," Puck said before he plopped his head back onto the console.
Catia grabbed the detonator from Puck and pressed the button. The explosives attached to the warp core detonated. The explosion cracked the matter/anti-matter intermix chamber and fractured the support struts holding the core suspended over the engineering deck. The matter/antimatter reaction within the core expanded beyond the cracks in an instant. The energy from the blast incinerated everything within engineering and beyond. The outer hull of the Bij's engineering section expanded outward in all directions shredding everything within ten kilometers of the explosion.
"Wake up angel," Brenon said in jovial voice that still sounded a bit like the Ferengi had swallowed sandpaper.
Catia looked around. She was lying on a bed covered in blankets. She could tell she was naked underneath. She pulled the blankets closer to her body once she realized she wasn't dressed. "Where am I?" Catia asked.
Catia could see that she was in a medical facility with medical personnel walking about. Most were Orions or Dopterians but one of the doctors was Ferengi. The facility seemed large enough to be a small hospital but not in Carnality. The facility was also surprisingly clean and well stocked for what Catia thought a Ferengi medical facility would look like. She could see Puck lying unconscious on one of the further away beds.
"You are onboard the ship we use to defend our investment here. You're on the Liquidator," Brenon said with a sense of pride. It was the Ferengi Nandi warship that Brenon had mentioned before. The ship must have been powerful to scare a Klingon captain the way it had.
"How did I survive?" Catia just barely managed to ask.
"We had a lock on you after Puck dropped the cloak but we were unable to beam you up until the Bij's shields were dropped. You achieved that by detonating the core." Brenon's excitement seemed to overwhelm his gravelly voice pushing his tone into a squeaky range. "My transporter operator is a veteran pirate. He's been beaming critical hardware out of ships in all manner of challenging conditions for years! You'd be dead otherwise," Brenon said. He took a breath and calmed himself for a moment.
Once he had gotten control of his breathing, Brenon came closer to Catia's bed. He reached a hand under Catia's blanket grabbing her left hand and squeezed. The gesture was alarming at first but he seemed to have the look of a concerned father rather than a horny man. "Get some rest, we can talk later," Brenon said with a warm smile. He gave one last look at his younger cousin then turned and left the med bay.
Four
A week had passed since the failed assassination. Catia's leave had been canceled and Starfleet had asked her to patrol the Jouret system and surrounding sectors while they sorted out the diplomatic headache the Klingon Civil War had caused. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, Catia squared away her bill at Brenon's club and arranged for working parties from her crew to assist in repairs. Brenon's people were generous. They rewarded the work crews with food and drink but they still insisted the entertainment be paid for.
Catia was back aboard her ship, USS Goldenfels. The Gagarin class starship was an old design with modern upgrades, a retrofit of the Shepard class. The ship was in stationary orbit over carnality. Catia sat in her small cramped ready room. The room had space for a center desk and three chairs. The door was only a meter from the two chairs for the guests. Across from Catia sat Puck and occupying the only remaining chair was Catia's first officer, Sorra Ossol, a thin lanky Cardassian woman.
Puck fidgeted with some small plastic figures Catia had on her desk. The figures had no real purpose. They were collectible characters from a holonovel made by some author on Tarsus IV. Catia kept them as a reminder to all the characters she played in the program. Catia was only slightly distracted from reading the report sent to her by Commander Burgess.
The report had detailed the actions taken to safeguard the people on the list that Puck had retrieved from the Bij's computer. Of the dozen names on the list, Starfleet was able to save five. Catia flopped the PADD containing the report on her desk. She looked at both of the other occupants in her ready room. Puck placed the figures he was holding back on the desk while Commander Ossol straightened in her chair.
Catia spoke in a low volume, restrained and void of any emotion."J'mpok and his forces were defeated yesterday. Starfleet saved five out of the twelve Klingon's selected for assassination…" Ossol nodded as Puck sat expressionless. "… they plan to reassign us to the Kyana Research Station for logistical support in the region." Puck looked confused, he shifted his gaze from Catia to Ossol and back again.
"Am I supposed to be here for your little meeting?" Puck asked.
"I'm curious as to why you are here as well," Ossol said with a smirk. She turned to Catia, her voice returned to a professional tone. "We can get underway in three hours. It'll give the work crews time to enjoy themselves a bit longer and still get everyone and our equipment off the surface." The crew had been on extended liberty since they finished the repairs to the settlement. Ossol, feeling the meeting had concluded, started to rise from her seat when Catia motioned for her to halt.
"You have your three hours but give yourself some time on the surface too. You might find it relaxing." Ossol seemed puzzled but nodded in acknowledgment. Catia motioned for her XO to leave. Ossol was a great officer but never seemed to take time off for herself. She was likely to have a nervous breakdown, or not. It was hard to tell what her Cardassian First Officer was thinking most of the time.
"Am I free to go?" Puck asked nervously.
"I spoke with Brenon about your actions on the ships. I hope he plans to reward you," Catia said ignoring Puck's question.
"He gave me a long lecture about not being so reckless," Puck said looking away in embarrassment.
"He was that worried about you?" Catia was surprised. She certainly hadn't know Brenon for very long but he was starting to seem less and less like the Ferengi Catia was used to dealing with.
Puck smiled at her, "He was more angry that I didn't keep you from getting banged up." Puck chuckled slightly, "My cousin really likes you. I don't know what it is, he hates most Klingons." Puck shrugged as he finished his last sentence.
Catia stared off over the Ferengi's shoulder. Her thoughts trailed off. Plans for the future. Thoughts on what to do with her new assignment and thoughts of returning to Carnality if only to visit Brenon and Puck again. Puck continued to stare back in puzzlement.
Catia returned her thoughts to the present. "I wanted to let you know I really appreciate what you did for me," Catia said. Puck looked at her with a toothy grin but said nothing. "Do you remember what I said before we entered engineering?"
"Oh I remember," Puck exclaimed looking astounded. He rose from his chair and started looking around. He began to pull off his coat with both hands.
"We are not doing it here Puck," Catia laughed. Meet me at my quarters in ten minutes.
"Where are your quar…" Puck began. "Just use the computer for directions. I'll be there shortly," Catia said as she shooed him from her ready room. Puck ran out of the room zipping up his jacket as he crossed the threshold presented by the parting doors. Catia could see her first officer relaying orders to the bridge crew as the doors slid closed.
Catia stood from her chair and turned toward the wall behind her. A small viewport of transparent aluminum sat at eye level allowing Catia to see the surface of the planet. The ship's dorsal aspect was facing the planet's surface allowing the planet to fill the viewport. The planets colors were unimpressive from orbit. Mostly shades of brown and white with a few red hues mixed in. A ball of bird shit would have been a fitting description.
Catia tapped her combadge. "Catia to Ossol," she called out. The computer instantaneously connected her combadge to Ossol's allowing the two to talk. "Ossol here," the commander said. "Once I'm off the bridge I'll be indisposed for an hour, in my quarters. Is that understood?"
"Loud and clear ma'am. Will I need to alert medical?" Ossol asked with a little smile adding flavor to her jocular tone. Catia stepped through the doorway to her ready room and looked her first officer in the eyes. Her face had gone a bit red out of embarrassment. "I'll handle that part myself." Catia started for the nearest turbolift door.
"As you wish," Ossol said wit a nod. As Catia disappeared in the turbolift, Ossol turned to Lieutenant Tyree at the helm. "Let commander Zeahan know that she has the bridge," Ossol said to the Human male. "Where you going ma'am?" Tyree asked. "I'm going to go burn some images out of my head," Ossul said with a smile. She turned and headed to another turbolift and didn't look back.